Get in Gear: Readers respond with their cat-themed license plates that tell the world they love cats

By Susan Bard Hall
The driving force behind cat-themed personalized license plates is to show the world you are a cat lover. While the size of license plates limits the number of letters and numbers that can be combined, there is no limit to the creativity and imagination that cats inspire. For many people, vanity license plates are the perfect expression of their passion for the two things that purr in their lives — cats and cars.

When CAT FANCY announced it was looking for readers’ cat-themed vanity license plates, 120 readers from 29 states and Canada responded. Although we couldn’t mention or picture all respondents, we’ve highlighted a number of them to share with readers.

Passion for the Roadster

Soon after Kay Ellwein of Illinois purchased her Jaguar, her husband surprised her with license plates that read KAYS KAT. She said he hoped she would consider the car to be her cat. “A Jaguar might pacify some people, but not me,” Kay said, adding that she was considering getting a cat now that their children, who are allergic, have grown up and moved out.

Ann Graves Davis of Washington said PURZ reflects two of the loves in her life — Annabelle, a silver Persian, and a showroom-condition 1978 Datsun 280Z.

PERS also has a dual meaning for Debi White of California. It is an acronym for the names of her four cats: Pounder, Emily, Riles and Squeeks. It’s also the sound her cats make when they are content.

RAG CAT reflects Melody Norman’s love of her bicolor Ragdoll, Tucker, and her red convertible rag top. Melody lives in Illinois.

Margaret Ivetic of Illinois said she wanted something “catty” for her license plates when she purchased a Mercury Cougar in 1989, although there were no cats in her life at the time. Her first choices for license plates were unavailable, so she pursued a variation on PAWS. Her request for PAUSE came back as PAUSE 4. Whenever she’s asked the meaning behind the plates, she says it’s because cougars and cats have four paws. There are now three cats pussyfooting around her home: Andy, Miss Callie and Smoochie.

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